MPL Ep 37 - Author Chat

Edit: Casey just put together a Spotify list for these songs. Thank you so much!! Here it is: link

I wrote this as a response to Christina who asked if I had a list of songs for MPL. But it got really long, so I decided to send this out as an entire post. Thanks for the question, Christina <33 I had a lot of fun with this one.

Also, I didn’t talk about these songs earlier on, but I’m able to do that now since we've reached a point in the story where these aren't really spoilers anymore. These are the top few songs I've had on repeat since the beginning of MPL (Webtoon version) in 2017, because they resonate so strongly with me. I don’t listen to them as much now, but they’ve already taken root in my head (possibly forming the entire basis of the story lol).

*Note: These lyric interpretations are purely my own, and not necessarily the ‘right’ ones. Also, sorry guys, I ran out of time so I couldn't include the song links so you'll have to look them up yourselves*





1) "I Need My Girl" by "The National

This is probably the most important 'MPL song' to me, and the song that inspired my entire ‘vision’ of MPL. Lyrics and my personal interpretation below: 

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"I'm under the gun again
I know I was the 45% of then
I know I was a lot of things
But I am good, I am grounded
Davy says that I look taller
I can't get my head around it
I keep feeling smaller and smaller
I need my girl
I need my girl”

I think this sums up Tora’s character arc really well. To me, at this point in the story, Tora isn’t in that place in life where he’s damaged, angry and bitter, anymore.

He’s 26 now. It might not have been an easy journey for him, but he’s worked through many of his issues, and he's 'on his way out’, so to speak. He’s at a point in his life where he is (relatively) mature, stable and even-minded, even if he still has his moments of rage flare-ups (pretty terrifying ones, I know, but that’s for another topic) and temper tantrums . He knows he’s done a lot of shit in his life, and he’s trying to make amends. Or at least, he's trying to distance himself from all that. An indication of this is when, in an earlier episode, Vincent B talked about Tora’s ‘little vacation’ that's going to end soon. And the people around him can see this change in him. But somehow, Tora can’t entirely see it himself, because in his mind, he’s still that angry, broken teenager and troublemaker.

And of course, there’s the fact that he’s still a ‘Balthuman', and he still has Balthuman duties looming over his head that he can’t escape from. 

I think the general assumption about Tora, especially with new readers, is that he’s a 'bad-boy’ male lead. And I absolutely see where they're coming from. But to me, that's not really what Tora is about. There's no denying that he looks and behaves like a ‘bad-boy’. But I see him as just a regular guy who had the misfortune of landing in a terrible life situation, that ended up shaping (at least partially) who he is today. And also, he’s just a regular guy who happens to be very good-looking, lol.

(And for some reason, Davy has manifested himself as Gyu/Ronzo in my head 😂)

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"Remember when you lost your shit and
Drove the car into the garden
You got out and said I'm sorry
To the vines and no one saw it
I need my girl
I need my girl”

This passage painted such a vivid imagery in my head, it inspired the entire scooter scene where Tora sees Poppy climbing out of the bushes, kicking her scooter in anger then apologising to it. And that’s what Poppy is about, too.

To me, Poppy is unapologetically and fiercely true to herself. Even if she feels self-conscious at times, and even if it means people are going to judge the heck out of her for it. And don’t think for a second that she isn’t aware of all that, because she is. She might change things up, but only because of life experiences that shift her mindset, or because the occassion calls for it, as a means to an end. And not because she’s conforming to people's (and society’s) expectations. So she might dress like a literal toddler, but does she care what you think about her? No, not really.

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"I'll try to call you from the party
It's full of punks and cannonballers
I need my girl"

And lastly. This is such a simple passage, but so beautiful and heartbreaking. Tora is constantly surrounded by gang members and his gang life, but all he’s thinking about is his girl, Poppy. All he wants, is to reach out to her, and just be by her side. ’Nuff said.


2) “Kryptonite" by "3 Doors Down"
This one contains spoilers, so I won’t go into it yet, but I think y’all might be able to get a pretty clear picture, at this point in the story. It’s about Tora and Poppy’s relationship, to a certain extent, but it's also (or maybe even moreso) about Tora’s relationship with Vincent Balthuman.


3) “Know You Well (Feat Laura Hahn)” by "Michael St Lauren"
"Baby, I'm not like you, baby I don't think like you
But I know you well
I have this little fantasy, that one day me and you could be
But I know you better
You look at me like you know you're the girl of my dreams, my love overflows,
But we don't say a thing, cause I know you too well, I keep my heart on my sleeve
For you, for you
I will always picture you in a place that you like under the moon, it'll be far away
But I know you too well to know that you don't feel the same"

Self-explanatory. Just…kill me now.


4) "Mary Jane" by "Alanis Morisette"
This is Poppy’s song.


5) "Winter Bird" by "Suran"
I mentioned this in an SG post previously. Tora and Poppy's song.
 
6) "Photograph" by "Nickelback"
Moved this up here because I just remembered this one's pretty significant as well. Tora's bittersweet and nostalgic teenage years song.

A few other songs
I have a much longer list, but I have no idea how to organise and present the songs so I’ll leave that for another day (and don’t judge lmao).
BOSS - NCT, NTC U
BTS Cypher 4 - BTS
Boy in Luv - BTS
Lie - BTS
No More Dream - BTS
I Need U - BTS
When The World Breaks Your Heart - The Goo Goo Dolls
Remembering Sunday - All Time Low